Public Defender’s Office is a structural unit in the composition of the RA Chamber of Advocates which in cases prescribed by law provides free legal aid to people and carries out public defense. The legal aid is given by the advocates working in the Office – Public Defenders.

The free legal aid includes:

1. Consultation – writing of claims, applications, complaints and other procedural documents of legal nature, including provision of legal information;
2. Representation or defense on criminal, civil, administrative and constitutional cases.

Advocates are employed as Public Defenders based on results of a competition process and are remunerated from the financial means allocated to the RA Chamber of Advocates from the RA state budget especially for that purpose. The Office is led by the Head of Public Defender’s Office who according to the law has  two Deputies. The normal course of the Office’s activity is secured by the assisting staff (receptionist, assistant, driver, accountant etc.).

Although the Public Defender’s Office provides services through the state means (order), it is independent and does not abide by any state body. When giving legal aid Public Defenders exclusively abide by universal requirements on advocate’s ethics and by the Office’s inner disciplinary rules. The Head of the Office (Deputy Head) does supervision over the activity of Public Defenders and the Chairman of the RA Chamber of Advocates (Deputy Chairman) does supervision over the activity of Public Defender’s Office.